Man behind the sweets: Son gains ownership of mom's shop

Reggie Feaster has taken over the business started by his mom, Phyllis' Sweet Shop.

By Jackie Bridges / Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, May 15, 2014 at 07:39 AM.

When customers ask Reggie Feaster if he really bakes the cakes and makes the fudge and fried pies at Phyllis' Sweet Shop, he takes it as a compliment.

Reggie started helping his mom, Phyllis, three years ago when she opened the shop at 585 W. Grover St., Shelby.

"Slowly she gave me a few more recipes," Reggie said. "She said this is more work than she wanted to do. It took awhile to get the recipes out of her, but last year, she completely took her hands off it."

Passing on the recipes

People still can't believe he does all the baking now, and he gets asked all the time if his mom is in the kitchen.

One reason it took so long to get all of his mom's recipes was because they were in her head.

"The sweet potato pie, she just made it," he said. "She figured out what she did and wrote it down. She would give me a recipe and it wouldn't turn out the same. The first time I made the pound cake, it didn't come out right."

He decided to watch her make the cake to see what he was missing. Now that he has completely taken over the cooking, when she wants to bake something, she calls him to double check the key ingredients.

All in the family

Phyllis said her mom, Buna Albert, taught her how to cook, and she's passing the gift to Reggie, her only child.

"Hopefully he will pass it on to his girls, Aslen and Gabrielle "Gigi," who are already showing talent in the kitchen," Phyllis said in an email to The Star. "My days of cooking are not over. I will always be available to offer my support and knowledge to Reggie, but after 30-plus years of baking, I just decided to take a back seat and let the next generation have its day."

Reggie was no stranger to the kitchen when he started helping his mom. He hadn't done much baking, though. Phyllis, on the other hand, was not a willing student when she was growing up.

"Cooking did not come easy for me," Phyllis said. "I had no desire to learn when my mother tried to show me. When the time came that I had to do it, I realized that it was not as bad as I thought."

She started her business in 1984 and was the only baker at the old Farmer's Market on Warren Street in Shelby.

"I took a few years off to raise my family and help my husband with his business," she said. "I returned to the market in 2003 after I retired from the Shelby City School system. When the old market closed, I opened the shop so that I could have a place to sell my baked goods year round. Now, Reggie continues to sell his baked goods at the uptown Farmers' Market on Saturdays."

Adding to his mom's favorites

Reggie makes all the items his mom is known for - old-fashioned, homemade baked goods - but has come up with some of his own creations. One addition is New York Style Cheesecake.

"I looked everywhere for the perfect recipe," he said. "I wanted a dense texture - something in between creamy and cake-like."

He's working on a new cookie to sell and has added homemade casseroles, pimento cheese and chicken salad to the menu.

He also sells Italian Ice, which is dairy-free, cholesterol-free and fat-free, and will have it for sale at the Shelby Alive concerts in uptown on the fourth Thursdays from May to August.

The sweet shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. From April to November, Reggie is in uptown Shelby at the Foothills Farmers' Market from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. During other months, the shop is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cakes can be made to order with a couple of days notice. More notice is needed during holidays. For more information, call 704-484-1900.

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When customers ask Reggie Feaster if he really bakes the cakes and makes the fudge and fried pies at Phyllis' Sweet Shop, he takes it as a compliment.

Reggie started helping his mom, Phyllis, three years ago when she opened the shop at 585 W. Grover St., Shelby.

"Slowly she gave me a few more recipes," Reggie said. "She said this is more work than she wanted to do. It took awhile to get the recipes out of her, but last year, she completely took her hands off it."

Passing on the recipes

People still can't believe he does all the baking now, and he gets asked all the time if his mom is in the kitchen.

One reason it took so long to get all of his mom's recipes was because they were in her head.

"The sweet potato pie, she just made it," he said. "She figured out what she did and wrote it down. She would give me a recipe and it wouldn't turn out the same. The first time I made the pound cake, it didn't come out right."

He decided to watch her make the cake to see what he was missing. Now that he has completely taken over the cooking, when she wants to bake something, she calls him to double check the key ingredients.

All in the family

Phyllis said her mom, Buna Albert, taught her how to cook, and she's passing the gift to Reggie, her only child.

"Hopefully he will pass it on to his girls, Aslen and Gabrielle "Gigi," who are already showing talent in the kitchen," Phyllis said in an email to The Star. "My days of cooking are not over. I will always be available to offer my support and knowledge to Reggie, but after 30-plus years of baking, I just decided to take a back seat and let the next generation have its day."

Reggie was no stranger to the kitchen when he started helping his mom. He hadn't done much baking, though. Phyllis, on the other hand, was not a willing student when she was growing up.

"Cooking did not come easy for me," Phyllis said. "I had no desire to learn when my mother tried to show me. When the time came that I had to do it, I realized that it was not as bad as I thought."

She started her business in 1984 and was the only baker at the old Farmer's Market on Warren Street in Shelby.

"I took a few years off to raise my family and help my husband with his business," she said. "I returned to the market in 2003 after I retired from the Shelby City School system. When the old market closed, I opened the shop so that I could have a place to sell my baked goods year round. Now, Reggie continues to sell his baked goods at the uptown Farmers' Market on Saturdays."

Adding to his mom's favorites

Reggie makes all the items his mom is known for - old-fashioned, homemade baked goods - but has come up with some of his own creations. One addition is New York Style Cheesecake.

"I looked everywhere for the perfect recipe," he said. "I wanted a dense texture - something in between creamy and cake-like."

He's working on a new cookie to sell and has added homemade casseroles, pimento cheese and chicken salad to the menu.

He also sells Italian Ice, which is dairy-free, cholesterol-free and fat-free, and will have it for sale at the Shelby Alive concerts in uptown on the fourth Thursdays from May to August.

The sweet shop is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. From April to November, Reggie is in uptown Shelby at the Foothills Farmers' Market from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. During other months, the shop is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Cakes can be made to order with a couple of days notice. More notice is needed during holidays. For more information, call 704-484-1900.